Automatic boiler-feed-pump governor.



G. B. WITT.

0 AUTOMATIC BOILER FEED PUMP GGVERNOR.

APPLICATION TlLED APR 12, 1910,

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

IT STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. WITT,'OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC BOILERrFEED-PUMP GOVERNOR.

To (ill whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnouon E. Wm, citi- Zen of the United States, residingfin the cityand county of'San Francisco-and State v ofQalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Boiler-Feed- P mp Governors, of which the following is a specification.

.This invention relates to an apparatus for 'hiiaintaining aconstant 'water level in steam i;boilers, and pertains especially to an auto- 'inatic boiler-feed-pump governor. Theobject of this invention is to provide in simple, practical means for controlling the -'pu'inp which feeds the water to the boiler, so-

that the, pump-will not start up suddenly or .j'ceas'el suddenly, and thereby cause an undes red d1StllIbaIlCQ1n the. boiler and an unde-' sired fluctuation of the water level in the boiler.".

:which has Jproven eminently satisfactory in practice; by which I controlthe movements of the water pump according to the water level in the boiler, andwith such axmcety that,thcre .is notto exceed a quarter of an inch in' t-h'e"variation of the boiler water.

" level-in the gage glass; the valves controlling the steam to the pump gradually and without thump or jar. In this system the waterflow is practicallyconstant, although .varying involume; but there is no intermittent shutting off or turning on of the water (unless the load is shut off entirely) asis commonin most systems.

The invention consists of the amas. the-construction and combination .()f- "parts as here nafter more fully described :and' claimed, having reference to the accompanying drawings,-in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of a steam boiler showing the invention applied. Fig. 2 is a detail 1 partial section showingthe j-egulating mechanism. A s asteam boiler and furnace of-any 'de'scrlption to which the invention is applicable, 2 is the steam dome, and 3 is the feed water pump taking its water 4 from any suitable source of supply and delivering to the boilerthrough connections 5.ii nder the control of amechanism constituting the present invention. The pump is run by steam-received through a pipe 6 from the dome 2,the fiow of steam through pipe 6 being controlled by a balanced valve 7. y This balanced valve 7 is positioned about on.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

a level with the normal water line 8 of the. boiler, for reasons hereinafterstatcd.

9 is a vertical water column connected at one end with the water in the boiler. and at the other end with the steam above the water level. r

IQ is the gage glass.

ll is an expansion tube arranged substan tially horizontal but at aslight'incline, and in such position that one end ofit and a part of its middle portion are above --the water" level 8, and the rest of the tube is be low the water level; the upper end above the water level being connected by a pipe 12 with the drysteam in the boiler and with the top of the water column 9, and the lower end of the tube 11 which is below the water l vel, being connected by a'-'pipe 13 with the water end of the column't); and through the latter with the body of-water in the boiler. The. upper end of the expansion tube 11' is fixedllock-nuts 14. in an appropriate support or frame 15, while-the other, orclosed end of. the tube.

loose sliding lit in a cross-rib 17 of the frame 15. 'This plug 16 at the'closed lower end ofthe tube 11 operateswhen the tube expands, on the stem 18 of the valve 7 to .open the latter igainst the tension of a spring 19 and allow steam to pass from the boiler to the pump. and so operate the pump. lVhen the tube 11 contracts. by reason of the iiow of water from'the boiler up into the tube and through it. the spring 19 willact to close valve 7 more or less, and so'shut oil the steam tothc pump and cause the latter ,.to stopor'slow down. 'Ihevrtical legs of the waterpipe 13 which connects the water 'coliimn 9 with the expansion tube 11 are of sutlicieut size and length as to atl'ord the necessary spring to permit the tube 11 read nating action-of'the steam in one end of the tube 11. and the water at the other end of th'tllberi has-a plug extension 16 with a ily to enpand and cmitrat-rt-under the alter- The slight inclination of the tube' ll and i enough "to bring the water level in the boiler hack to its normal condition. As the water. level infthc boiler rises, it also rises in the outer leg of-the tube 13, and enterin'gthe hcrizontalexpansion tube 11 spreads out so that away little rise of the water in the boiler will tend-.to cover a considerable area oftube l1,.therebyquickly cooling the same and causing i tjto contract and correspondingly to shut off the steam to the pump. The pump action will vary directly as the valve 7. is opened more or less, and when all thegti m is cut oil entirely to the pump the actio of the pum will cease. By this means the water fee is accuratelyregulated according to the steam consumption, and the water can practically, be fed tothe boiler 1n approximately the same ratio that the steam. drawn, therefrom. Experience;

shows that with this arrangement the pump is hardly ever idle, therebeing-a continuous flow. to the boiler, although varying involume. Thereis no sudden starting and stopping of the pump, as in most systems. Thecloseness of its regulation is'one'of its re-- I markable, noteworthy and novel features.

- expansion 0 In orderto safeguard against any breaking down of the pump orother disarrangement of the apparatus, 1 l employ a high and low water alarm which will indicate any abfiormal rise of water "in the boiler or any depletion of the water in the boiler approaching tha langer point. -.v To this end I attach a metallic pin or projection 20 to the expansion tube l1.' -adaptecl to contact with and close a circuit through a contact 21 whenith e water falls below' a desired level, or to contact with .the complementary pro- 'jection 22 when the water .rises abnormally.

The -contacts 2122 are :preferably made adjustable to d; and from each other, so which-the pin 20 may move, due he alternateff contraction and i the tube '11, ma be. varied accordin as to whether the low and high Twater evels are to be increased or diminished more. or less.. In order to make these points 2l-22 adjustable I make them"as shown in Fig. 2, in which each point is carried on a horizontal plate23''24, the

'iwise, as shown at 25, to receive a set-screw 26. adapted to screw into an nsulatlng fiber plate or washer 27 suitably secured to frame "two plates 23-2{t being each'slotted length- P5; the points 21-22-'passing through,a

lengthwise slot in the fiber bushing 27 and also through a slot 28 in frame 15. I By loosening up on screw '26-the points 21 -22 may be moved closer to or farther from one another, and correspondingly to and from the movable contact point 20;. The two points 2I 22- may be in electrical connection with each other and with one terminal of a battery through the wire 29, both contacts being insulated from frame 15 and the-rest of the apparatus by the bushing 27; Frame.15

and likewise pomt 20. are connected'with the other terminal of the, battery through the wire30.- suitablealarm, as 31,;may be' "interposed in the circuit.

-T;Iaving thud idescribed my I invention,

what I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is A :The combination with a boiler, of a pump for-supplying water thereto, steam connections with the steam side .ofthe boiler for operatingthe pump, a valve in said'connec-- tions, and an expansion tube arranged sub-. stantially horizontal and'in the plane'of the' water level of the boiler, said tube having one end fired and connected with the steam side of the boiler, and the other end movable and connected with the boiler-below the wa ter level, said valve havinga stem disconnected from the tube and formin an axially alined prolongation adapted to ie engaged by the'tube to open the valve adjusting nuts on saidstem, and 'a spring acting onthe valve to close the same asthe tube contracts.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand in the presence of .two subscribing c an 

